The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 16, February, 1859: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

In Short

This issue of The Atlantic Monthly presents an energetic collection of essays, serialized fiction, historical analysis, and literary scholarship typical of antebellum American intellectual life. Readers move from arguments over women’s education to international intrigue in Paris, revolutionary campaigns in South America, wall street swindles, Dante’s early poetry, and debates on Shakespearean pronunciation. The volume remains a vibrant artifact of American letters, enduring because it captures the urgent moral, political, and artistic questions of a nation on the brink of profound change.

The Story

The volume opens with a sharp inquiry into the historical position of women, framed around Sylvain Maréchal’s satiric proposal to deny women the alphabet. Rejecting the notion that ignorance equates to female virtue, the narrative establishes that woman’s historical subordination stems from systemic degradation rather than inherent intellectual inequality, demanding an open field for genius regardless of gender.

Transitioning from essayistic reflection to narrative intrigue, the text follows an diplomatic agent in Paris navigating a maze of theft, political secrets, and aristocratic ruin. Working alongside a calculating valet named Hay, the narrator investigates the theft of a priceless jewel tied to Madame de St. Cyr and her daughter Delphine. Delphine becomes entangled in a dangerous plot involving a clandestine meeting in a wine cellar. Warning her that the secret police have marked her for the guillotine, the narrator urges her to flee to Vienna, appealing to her sense of self-preservation despite her calm indifference to death.

The focus shifts broad geographically and chronologically to the South American wars of independence. The narrative traces the collapse of Spanish imperial rule after Napoleon’s betrayal at Bayonne in 1808. Though the Creole population initially declares impassioned loyalty to the captive King Ferdinand VII, decades of colonial oppression fuel a relentless revolutionary movement. By 1821, Generals Bolívar and Paez rally ragged but determined Patriot forces against Spanish commanders Morillo and Morales, culminating in decisive battles that drive the imperial forces back to the sea.

Shifting to the realm of American commerce, the collection details a high-stakes story of financial deceit. A struggling investor named Sandford attempts to buy off an agent named Fletcher to uncover a bear plot aimed at depressing stock values. When Sandford threatens him, Fletcher counters with a warning of financial exposure. Sandford quickly gathers his funds and escapes, leaving his associate, Mr. Fayerweather, holding protested notes and worthless shares of the Vortex company as creditors descend and the business collapses.

Intertwined with these prose works are deep dives into cultural and literary history. A detailed commentary on Dante’s Vita Nuova traces the Italian poet’s celebration of Beatrice, exploring how spiritualized love transforms the human heart. Further literary criticism turns to Shakespeare, evaluating the text of the 1623 Folio, analyzing unrhymed iambic pentameter, and debating complex phonetic theories regarding historic English pronunciations. The issue draws to a close with a comprehensive bibliography of recent publications spanning theology, history, poetry, and culinary arts.

How It Unfolds

The argument for equality The collection opens with an examination of Sylvain Maréchal’s satirical law banning the alphabet for women, using it to launch a defense of female intellectual potential and to argue that soul precedes sex.

Intrigue in Parisian salons A foreign diplomat and his remarkably prosperous valet Hay unravel a theft connected to Madame de St. Cyr, navigating diplomatic dinners and secret financial arrangements.

A warning before dawn The diplomat confronts Delphine de St. Cyr, revealing that a secret service spy has infiltrated her revolutionary circle and urging her to escape Paris before she is arrested.

Rebellion in the Americas The narrative recounts how news of Napoleon placing his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne triggers a massive shift across Venezuela and Colombia, transforming initial royalist loyalty into an armed fight for independence under Bolívar.

Cornered on Wall Street A desperate speculator, Mr. Sandford, attempts to bully his agent Fletcher into abandoning a short-selling scheme, only to be met with a threat that exposes his own impending insolvency.

The downfall of the Vortex Sandford flees with his remaining funds, leaving his partner Mr. Fayerweather to discover he has been swindled with worthless shares just as lawyers and creditors serve writs to shut the office down.

Poetry of the gentle heart An essay on Dante’s Vita Nuova examines how the young poet turned his grief over Beatrice into enduring verse, defining love as an elevating force for the soul.

Deconstructing the Folio A scholar evaluates the 1623 Shakespeare Folio, dissecting poetic metre, scansion, and historical theories regarding early modern English pronunciation.

The People

• The Narrator: A clever diplomatic agent operating in Paris. He desires to retrieve a stolen diamond and protect Delphine from political ruin, though he claims to act without personal affection. He ends up securing the jewel while offering a life-saving warning.
• Delphine de St. Cyr: A resolute, cool-headed young woman involved in anti-government conspiracies. She desires political change and displays complete indifference toward her own safety. Warned of her impending execution, she receives the chance to flee to Vienna.
• Hay: An exceptionally capable English valet who serves the diplomat. He desires financial independence and accumulates land, bank funds, and stock holdings. He successfully manages his master's affairs while quietly operating as a landlord and investor.
• Mr. Sandford: A scheming financial operator attempting to salvage his fortune. He desires to stop a syndicate of short-sellers from ruining his stocks, but when threatened with exposure, he abandons his associate and escapes with his cash.
• Mr. Fayerweather: An unsuspecting investor who trusts Sandford. He desires to profit from shares in the Vortex company, only to discover too late that Sandford swindled him with worthless transfers right before the firm collapses.
• Mrs. Marvyn: A thoughtful, silent woman living a quiet domestic life. She desires intellectual expansion and hungers to experience grand art, music, and mathematics. She quietly masters complex treatises while maintaining her household routine.

In Its Own Voice

"Ought women to learn the alphabet? There the whole question lies."

Context: The essayist reduces the entire historical debate surrounding women's rights and education down to a single foundational principle.

"When this man, who had an interest in the India traders, brought the hot water into my dressing-room, of a morning, the Antipodes were tributary to me..."

Context: The narrator reflects on the strange irony of being served by a valet who is secretly a wealthy investor and landlord.

"The Secretary had weathered the President with a vengeance."

Context: Mr. Fayerweather realizes that Sandford has fled the country after dumping his worthless company shares onto him.

What It's Really About

Beneath its varied formats, the collection grapples with the tension between established authority and individual autonomy. Whether analyzing the systemic denial of women’s education, the bloody overthrow of imperial Spanish rule in the Americas, or the treacherous maneuvers of financial markets, the text questions who holds power and who is denied access to it. It contrasts external societal structures with internal human worth, asserting that individual capacity—whether intellectual, artistic, or political—will inevitably break through rigid hierarchies. Through commentary on Dante's devotion and Shakespeare's craft, the volume also examines how language and art give permanent shape to transient human struggles.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to readers who enjoy historical journalism, antebellum literature, and mid-nineteenth-century intellectual debates. Reading it feels like stepping directly into a cultivated 1859 parlor, offering a window into how educated readers of the era processed social reform, global politics, and literary culture. The prose carries a confident, expansive rhythm, balancing sharp wit with meticulous academic analysis.

The text does present challenges for modern readers. The prose can be dense, reflecting the leisure and stylistic preferences of the era, complete with unedited foreign phrases, intricate financial terminology, and lengthy textual arguments about archaic poetic scansion. Period attitudes regarding nationality and social class are evident throughout the narrative pieces. Yet what stays with the reader is the remarkable energy of the writing. The thinkers in these pages tackle questions of human rights, political freedom, and literary truth with an intensity that feels strikingly relevant today.